Are School Rankings a Thing from the Past? 16 Architecture Deans Criticize these Surveys in Official Statement

In a letter published on MIT's School of Architecture and Planning’s website, 16 deans from prominent architecture schools in the U.S, explain their position to stop participating in the annual survey that ranks universities. "Design education is not a popularity contest. Although generally our schools have been highly ranked in past DesignIntelligence reports and benefitted from the attention, we believe that it is time to stop participating", declares the statement signed by scholars, deans, and department chairs of MIT, Harvard, Columbia, Princeton, Yale, Rice, and UCLA, to name a few.

Stating clearly their position to boycott future ranking, the decision came after two years of informal discussions where the methodologies used behind these academic surveys were questioned, as well as their consequences. In fact, the letter adds that "however well-intentioned they may be, we believe that the DI rankings have the potential to create a disservice to the public". 

Are School Rankings a Thing from the Past? 16 Architecture Deans Criticize these Surveys in Official Statement - Image 2 of 3
Aerial view of Harvard Campus featuring Eliot House Clock Tower along Charles River, Cambridge, Boston, MA.. Image © Shutterstock/ Joseph Sohm

Identifying key points to back up their decision, the signees, some of which represent schools that have ranked very high on this assessment previously, agreed that this survey “lacks rigor”, “hurts smaller schools” and “lacks evidence-based purpose”, condemning the system of rating. Read the full statement of the committee, and discover below the complete list of the 16 supporting scholars and schools.

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Great Dome of Massachussets Institute of Technology (MIT) aerial view, Cambridge, Massachusetts MA, USA.. Image © Shutterstock/ Wangkun Jia

Deborah Berke, FAIA, LEED AP
Dean and J.M. Hoppin Professor of Architecture
Yale School of Architecture

Carmon Colangelo
Ralph J. Nagel Dean 
E. Desmond Lee Professor for Collaboration in the Arts
Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts
Washington University in St. Louis

Renee Y. Chow
William W. Wurster Dean
College of Environmental Design
University of California, Berkeley

Rodolphe el-Khoury
Dean
School of Architecture
University of Miami  

Robert Alexander González, AIA
Dean and Professor of Architecture
School of Architecture + Planning
University of New Mexico

Marta Gutman
Dean and Professor of Architecture, Spitzer School of Architecture, City College of New York | CUNY
Professor of Art History and Earth and Environmental Sciences, Graduate Center | CUNY

Igor Marjanović
William Ward Watkin Dean and Professor
Rice Architecture

Jonathan Massey
Dean and Professor of Architecture
Taubman College of Architecture & Urban Planning
University of Michigan

Mónica Ponce de León
Dean and Professor
School of Architecture
Princeton University 

Florencia Rodriguez
Director and Associate Professor
School of Architecture
University of Illinois in Chicago

Hashim Sarkis
Dean and Professor of Urban Planning
School of Architecture and Planning
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Brett Steele
Dean
UCLA School of the Arts & Architecture

Frederick Steiner, FASLA, SITES AP
Dean and Paley Professor
Stuart Weitzman School of Design
University of Pennsylvania

Sarah M. Whiting, Assoc. AIA
Dean and Josep Lluís Sert Professor of Architecture
Graduate School of Design
Harvard University 

Weiping Wu
Professor and Interim Dean
Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation
Columbia University

J. Meejin Yoon, AIA
Gale and Ira Drukier Dean
College of Architecture, Art, and Planning
Cornell University

About this author
Cite: Christele Harrouk. "Are School Rankings a Thing from the Past? 16 Architecture Deans Criticize these Surveys in Official Statement" 09 Sep 2022. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/988687/are-school-rankings-a-thing-from-the-past-16-architecture-deans-criticize-these-surveys-in-official-statement> ISSN 0719-8884

© Harvard GSD

抵制学校排名,美国 16 位建筑学院院长共同签署声明

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